Personal tools

TRUE LOVE FROM A DISTANCE

Through all the hardships, all they can do is cry, and then continue to thrive on. I admire these women for having courage and resilience, and for being brave enough to take risks. They sacrifice their lives for their family and their children, knowing that when they return home, things will be different. For my part, I can only share my presence, listen to their stories, put myself in their place and empathize with them. At the same time, I am praying for them that God will give them more courage to continue living.

TRUE LOVE FROM A DISTANCE

by Ana Flores

Columban lay
missionary from Peru

I first arrived in
the Philippines in December 2007 and have been assigned in Mindanao ever
since. I am currently engaged in a resettlement project at the Mother of
Divine Mercy Village in the outskirts of Cagayan de Oro, for the victims and
survivors of the catastrophic typhoon, Sendong (Tropical Storm
Washi) in 2011. There are 540 families living in the village. Residing here for
many years has made me recognize that although every family has their own
problems and struggles, they can all be rooted from the lack of opportunities
for families to earn a decent living.

My work involves regular house visitations through which I am able to
know their life struggles. One of them is the increasing number of children who
do not have the opportunity to attend school because of the lack in financial
support. In response to this, we have initiated a livelihood program where their
mothers, and women in general, are taught to sew clothes. The sewing project helps
willing mothers to acquire skills and empowers them to earn a living. But while
some women choose to be part of the project, others decide to leave home and
try their luck overseas. Most
of the women who decide to work abroad feel that they don’t have any choice in
the matter because their husbands’ incomes are inadequate to sustain the
financial needs of the family.

Ana with
friends at the Mother of Divine Mercy Village

It is
difficult to witness these mothers leave home to work abroad, but it especially
pains me to see their children being left in the care of their father and other
relatives in their absence. Because some
of them don’t have the money to travel to Manila for the processing of their
papers, they rely solely on the employment agency and are subsequently indebted
to them for a huge amount of money. Most of the time, the money they earn
abroad is not even enough to pay the exorbitant fees that these manpower
agencies demand.

While these mothers are abroad, the husbands
work as either tricycle drivers or construction workers, leaving the children
at home often without any adult supervision. This is the sad day-to-day
scenario in my ministry. Seeing the children left on their own is disheartening.
Most of the time I can only look up to the skies to utter a prayer for them.

Because of the
advances in technology, especially through social media, I can catch up with
these mothers working abroad and sometimes give an update on their children. Parenting
their children from a distance requires responsibility, perseverance and a lot
of trust, especially when a family member passes away or multiple problems
concerning their children arise. Through all the hardships, all they can do is
cry, and then continue to thrive on. I admire these women for having courage
and resilience, and for being brave enough to take risks.

They sacrifice
their lives for their family and their children, knowing that when they return
home, things will be different.

For my part, I can
only share my presence, listen to their stories, put myself in their place and
empathize with them. At the same time, I am praying for them that God will give
them more courage to continue living.